Earlier That Night

Y/N had just stepped outside for air.

The fight with Rafe still echoed in her head—his voice raised, his hands clenched, pacing like he always did when the walls were closing in. She hadn’t even bothered to take her phone. Just slipped out the side door, barefoot, hoodie pulled tight, trying to breathe.

She didn’t notice the car parked too long across the street. Didn’t hear the slow footsteps behind her until it was too late.

A sharp hand clamped over her mouth. An arm around her waist. A voice in her ear that made her blood turn cold.

“Easy, sweetheart. Don’t fight. You’re not the one I’m here for.”

Panic flooded her limbs. She kicked, twisted—bit down on his hand hard enough to taste blood. But it only made him angrier.

The last thing she saw was the ground spinning beneath her and the dark interior of a van as she was thrown inside.

The door slammed shut.

Everything went black.

– The Phone Call -

Rafe’s phone buzzed on the counter. Blocked number.

He grabbed it immediately, breath shallow, pulse pounding.

“Hello?”

Static. Then breathing. Then Barry’s voice, calm as ever.

“You always had a weakness for pretty things, Rafe.”

Rafe’s stomach dropped. “Barry. Where is she?”

“She’s with me. Don’t bother asking where.”

“If you’ve touched her—”

“Relax. I’m not the monster here. That’d be you, yeah? You’ve been dodging me for a long time. All those little deals, all that product — and not a damn cent in return. Almost a year, Rafe.”

Rafe gritted his teeth. “I’ll get you your money.”

“Too late for that. I don’t want your money anymore. I wanted to see what mattered to you. Turns out, it’s not the coke. It’s not the power. It’s her.”

A pause. Rafe’s hands were shaking now.

“I’ll give her back. But first, I want you to feel it. The fear. The loss. The helplessness. Like I did—every time you ignored a call, every time you sent someone else to lie for you.”

“Barry…” Rafe’s voice broke. “Please. Don’t hurt her. I’ll make it right.”

Barry’s tone shifted—low, deadly.

“You already didn’t.”

Then the call cut out.

Rafe stared at the phone, his reflection warped in the screen. His mind spun with rage, shame, and panic.

He’d lost control of everything.

And now the only person who ever gave a damn about him was in the hands of the one man who knew exactly how to break him.